The Edwards Aquifer’s San Antonio Pool remains in Stage 2 as of Nov. 13, a 30 percent cut in permitted pumping that reaches farm and ranch wells in Bexar County, not just city taps. The Edwards Aquifer Authority’s J-17 well in San Antonio read 644.7 feet above sea level this morning, with a 10-day average of 643.0 feet. Lee, Lee & Puckitt (LLP Ranchland) works rural acreage on the edge of San Antonio from our San Angelo headquarters, and this is what the stage, the drought sliver and deer season mean for landowners.
What Stage 2 Requires
The authority sets San Antonio Pool stages from the J-17 10-day average and from flow at Comal and San Marcos springs. Provisional readings posted Nov. 13 showed J-17 at 644.7 feet today and 644.8 feet yesterday, a 10-day average of 643.0 feet, Comal Springs at 160 cubic feet per second and San Marcos Springs at 86. The Uvalde Pool, indexed to the J-27 well, was in no stage, with no pumping cut.
Stage 2 calls for a 30 percent reduction in permitted withdrawals for affected San Antonio Pool permit holders, applied according to the number of days the stage is in effect. That includes agricultural and irrigation permits, not only municipal ones. A landowner with an Edwards well on a Bexar County ranch should confirm the permit, the current reduction, and whether a well is in the San Antonio Pool or the Uvalde Pool before planning winter irrigation or a stock-water expansion.
Comal.News, reviewing the authority’s Nov. 9 readings, already had the pool in Stage 2. Levels have ticked up slightly since then, but not enough to leave the stage.
A Narrow Band of Drought
The U.S. Drought Monitor valid Nov. 10 shows 11.13 percent of Bexar County in moderate drought, with the rest out of drought. Drought.gov puts 11.1 percent of residents in drought, about 190,840 people, a change that reflects a sliver of D1 rather than a countywide dry-up. October ranked as the 30th wettest in 132 years, 1.29 inches above normal, and January through October ranked 40th wettest, 3.94 inches above normal.
Texas A&M Forest Service data, as compiled by Burn Ban Texas on Nov. 13, listed a Bexar County burn ban with an effective date of Sept. 16, 2026. That date is recent enough to be a live 90-day order, but county orders can change, so confirm with the Bexar County fire marshal or commissioners court before burning.
Deer Season on the County’s Outer Edge
Bexar County is in the North Zone for white-tailed deer. The bag limit is 5 deer, no more than 2 bucks, all seasons combined. The general season is open from Nov. 7, 2026, to Jan. 3, 2027. Quail hunting remains open through Feb. 28. Sandhill crane rules split the county: Zone A, southwest of IH 10 and northwest of IH 35, is open Oct. 31 through Jan. 31; Zone B, northeast of IH 10 and northwest of IH 35, opens Nov. 27; Zone C, southeast of IH 35, opens Dec. 12 and runs through Jan. 17. A federal crane permit is required in each zone.
Rural Land on a Metro Edge
Working ranch and farm tracts on the west and south sides of Bexar County do not trade like suburban acreage inside Loop 1604. An Edwards well, a Trinity well, or a stock tank that holds can each change what a buyer will pay. The Texas Real Estate Research Center’s second quarter 2026 statewide rural land median was $5,218 an acre, essentially flat from the prior quarter. That statewide figure is a poor stand-in for a specific Bexar County place. A Broker should price from comparable sales with similar water, access and use.
Call Our Brokers and Agents
If you are buying, selling or valuing rural land in Bexar County, call Lee, Lee & Puckitt at 325.655.6989 or visit llpranchland.com.
Frequently Asked Questions
Who is a ranch Broker for Bexar County property? Lee, Lee & Puckitt, a San Angelo firm, handles ranch and farm sales, appraisals and Broker’s Price Opinions on rural land in and around Bexar County.
How can I find land for sale in Bexar County? See listings at llpranchland.com and call 325.655.6989 with the acreage, water and use you want, whether that is grazing, hunting or a small farm.
What should the best ranch Broker for Bexar County offer? A clear read on well permits and aquifer rules, comparable sales from similar rural tracts, and no confusion between suburban lots and working land.
What does Edwards Aquifer Stage 2 mean for a ranch well? For affected San Antonio Pool permit holders, Stage 2 requires a 30 percent reduction in permitted pumping. Confirm your pool, your permit and the current stage with the Edwards Aquifer Authority.
About Lee, Lee & Puckitt
Lee, Lee & Puckitt was founded in Bronte in 1962 and keeps its headquarters in San Angelo. The partners ranch, and the firm’s Brokers and Agents handle sales, appraisals, Broker’s Price Opinions and the practical questions landowners bring in.
Sources
- Edwards Aquifer Authority, Display Our Readings, provisional daily water readings as of Nov. 13, 2026: https://www.edwardsaquifer.org/display-our-readings/
- Comal.News, “Canyon Lake and Edwards Aquifer conditions, Nov. 9, 2026,” published Nov. 10, 2026: https://comal.news/news/comal-water-conditions-november-9-2026
- U.S. Drought Monitor, map valid Nov. 10, 2026 (released Nov. 12, 2026): https://droughtmonitor.unl.edu/
- Drought.gov, Bexar County, Texas, conditions, checked Nov. 13, 2026: https://www.drought.gov/states/Texas/county/Bexar
- Burn Ban Texas, Bexar County (Texas A&M Forest Service data), checked Nov. 13, 2026: https://burnbantexas.com/county/bexar
- TPWD Outdoor Annual, Bexar County 2026-27: https://tpwd.texas.gov/regulations/outdoor-annual/regs/counties/bexar
- Texas A&M AgriLife Extension, Texas Crop and Weather Report, Nov. 13, 2026, by Adam Russell, as published in North Texas e-News: https://www.ntxe-news.com/artman/publish/article_147455.shtml
- Texas Real Estate Research Center, Texas Rural Land Markets, Second Quarter 2026: https://trerc.tamu.edu/reports/texas-rural-land-markets-second-quarter-2026/
- Related: Land appraisals, Contact LLP Ranchland, Texas Ranch News: New TREC Water Rights Disclosure Puts Wells and Stock Tanks on the Table
Photo: Larry D. Moore, CC BY 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons (https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Medina_River_Natural_Area.jpg). Cropped.
